Y for Yttrium

This is the 25th in the series of 26 posts this month, each on a theme corresponding to a letter of the English alphabet. 

My theme this year is "Chemicals in our life", spurred by my interest in chemistry. 

Yttrium is a silvery-metallic element with the symbol Y and the atomic number 39. It has often been classified as a "rare-earth element".

It is not very common in nature, but it is widely found in minerals like monazite and xenotime.

It was first isolated in 1828 by a Swedish chemist Friedrich Wöhler, and the element probably gets its name from the Swedish town of Ytterby. 

Yttrium finds use in automobiles and television.

In automobile exhaust systems, it works as an oxygen sensor. Yttrium oxide can measure the oxygen content in the exhaust gas and adjust the fuel injection accordingly. This helps to reduce the emission of harmful pollutants and improve engine efficiency. 

In older TV models, which used cathode ray tubes, yttrium was used as a host for red phosphors. (Phosphors are substances that emit light when exposed to some form of energy.)

However, in modern LED TVs, yttrium aluminium garnet is used as phosphors. 

Yttrium metal is also used to improve the strength of aluminium and magnesium alloys.

_________________________

The information provided in this post has been obtained from multiple authentic resources. However, it is presented in an abridged format and might not have all the details. Therefore, before acting on any information, readers are requested to exercise caution and do further research.

This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z 2023. I am also on A2Z April Challenge.